Cold weather has affected supplies of herbs out of Israel, but growers expect the ill effects from inclement weather to be resolved within two weeks.

“There have been a lot of shortages of herbs in Israel because of the storm,” said Omer Kamp of Arava Growers. “In part, it was due to planning, but, mostly, the shortages have been due to cold nights and cold weather.” Bad weather began to hit growers in the Arava valley several weeks ago, and Kamp believes shortages should clear up in about a week and a half. If that pans out, then growers will have been affected by the weather for about a month.

“There was also some damage to greenhouses, but that damage has been manageable,” said Kamp. While prices have fluctuated with supplies, Kamp explained that they haven't changed prices for clients throughout the shortage.

Arava Growers ship their herbs mainly to Western Europe and North America, though Kamp noted that there are limited supplies being sent to Russia. He added that Kenyan production has been increasing over the years, which has increased competition, but, thus far, increasing worldwide demand has accommodated additional supplies.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com